do you remember being an elementary kid in art class growing up?
do you remember your art teacher more specifically?
my art teacher always seemed notorious for having crazy wispy hair
piled high in a knot on top of her head.
with a number 2 pencil stuck in her knot.
her long, flowy to the ground skirt was covered up usually by those big blue smocks.
you know the smocks that look like a stiffer, brighter doctor's office smock?
and adorned on her feet were the "ever present in the 90's" birkenstocks.
yup, birkenstocks + long skirt + blue smock + crazy wispy hair = my art teacher.
but you know what?
even though I was pretty sure craziness ran through her blood,
I thought she was pretty dang amazing.
I remember her bringing in a copy of vincent van gogh's starry night painting.
she then would show us the details in the sky, show us the mix of blues,
the swirls of his paint strokes...and then?
then, she would pull out tempura paint,
hand us a very "loved hard over the years" paint brush and say you try it!
oh, how I would labor over it. I would try to hold my hand how I thought mr. van gogh might.
I would try to mix my red and blue tempura paints to mix an even deeper bluer, purpler color.
I simply could not wait to finish creating my masterpiece!
and the next day after art class was simply the best.
it was when my art teacher would take all the dry paintings we had created the day before and hang them all along the walls leading to the art room.
I couldn't wait to run and find my masterpiece! in my eight year old mind it was as if she said,
"this masterpiece jenny? this one that you made is special. let's hang it up for everyone to see."
granted, e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e.'s. masterpiece was hung, even the kid who mixed his boogers in with the paint...
but it still made me feel special.
that's how I've felt about doing these challenges.
I have loved seeing all of your "masterpieces".
your ability to take a subject and come up with very different conclusions fascinates and inspires me.
unfortunately this week, I received a lot of emails instead of masterpieces.
it's just what happened.
busyness or fatigue or thinking that kreatid challenge [typography] was too hard.
for the busyness or fatigue...I completely understand.
it's a lot being creative each week...and in this weeks case, in a short matter of time.
combine that with kids/house/husbands/families/work/business and
whatever else comes in there and yup, you have tiredness.
which is why I'm rethinking these challenges all together...
thinking that maybe a once a month challenge would be a better idea.
even if I am the only being challenged, it is still worth it to me.
but in response to it being "too hard"? I disagree.
"it's supposed to be hard. if it wasn't hard, everyone would be doing it.
the hard is was makes it great."
I think that is why I am so proud of the two entries I recieved this week.
they stretched themselves. they looked outside of the box.
they did the "hard".
I'm not even going to make anyone vote this week.
they already won in my book. they won because they did the "hard".
I didn't think typography would be as challenging as this...I see it everywhere!
and the winners of a canvas of their choosing?
I am proud to say are kate palacios for this amazingly creative wonder woman entry!
kate's words...
"Not all who wonder are lost". I'm not exactly a "live by a motto kind of girl", but I do find myself doing a lot of wondering in the midst of raising 4 children...what if I did this, what if I tried that, what will life be like when my youngest is in Kindergarten next fall?, what should I be when I grow up?....and so, I still wonder. a lot.
And it just so happens my favorite of all time super hero's is Wonder Woman. I find myself in a stage where I still a need role model, and though she walks around in star-spangled spankies, she still represents something I dream of achieving someday:
confidence.
I'd like to hope that whatever my future holds I would have the drive to help others, be truthful to myself, and just give it all I've got....and if you want to toss in a little lasso and invisible jet that would be cool too. :)"
my words?
rock.star.
for all of you who think that you have to be a photographer in order to particiapte...she so proved you wrong and rocked the house. seriously kate, you're not a "photographer" but you so are...you are clever and I love to see life through your eyes. and you are so a "wonder woman" in my book. love it. :)
and the other amazing entry by my other lovely sister, elizabeth weitz...seriously love how her brain works! :)
seriously cool sign language print of one of my most favorites little girls in the world. :) shows creativity, thought and awesome follow through. :)
so that's it...I haven't reached a conclusion on the future of these challenges...I'd love to hear your thoughts if you had any...and thanks for the inspiration kate and yess...you both rock and I love you tremendously. :)
